Edelweiss
18th January 2004, 07:42
Most of you probaply have no idea about what's going on in the radical Left here in Germany, and probaply don't really care, but nevertheless I think it's interesting for you to know what is going on here, also I'm curious for your reactions.
First, the situiation is truely fucked up. The radical Left is splitted into two wings, both leaded by hardliners of their faction. On the one side the so called "Antideutsche", the "anti-Germans". I guess most of you will be already very irritated by that name alone, but the German radical Left is tradionally very anti-national since WWII, for good reasons IMO. The German nation, it's values, generally the "Deutschtum" ("Germanhood"?), German national pride was always fought and pushed back, the Left saw it as their historical duty to fight German nationalism from within. A "tradional" leftist slogan is "Deutschland verrecke" (Germany puke off) for example. So the radical Left in Germany always had been kind of "anti-German", but the faction which is now known as the anti-Germans here goes far further than that.
They have developed out of relics of the Maoist/Stalinist sects of the 70s after the unification of Germany, and as direct result of it and new German ambitions to become a great power, their first organized group was called the "Anti-German Communists", but in the meanwhile they also get support from the anti-fascist/AFA spectrum. What is making them so unique, probaply worldwide within the radical Left (and so more German than they would ever admit...), is that they are uncompromisingly pro-zionist and pro-American. Many leftists in Germany (including myself) supporting the right of Isreal to exist as a result of the holocaust, but the anti-Germans not only supporting the right of Isreal to exist, they are supporting the current foreign politics of Isreal by Sharon in Palistine, and they are also supporting the US war on Iraq (!). They are justifyng that with the alleged anti-semitic nature of the worldwide anti-imperialist resististance against the war, for them the war is fully justified, because it's fought against an "enemy of Israel". (Their argumentation reminds me very much of the argumentation of the American right wingers here in the discussion at Che-Lives in OI...) They are totally focusing their ideology on the Palestine-Isreal conflict, for them the Palestinians are one fascist, anti-semitic mob who's only interest it is to drive the Jews in the sea. Everyone who shows the slightest support or even solidaity for the rights of the Palestinians is called an anti-semite, also anti-zionism is the same as anti-semitism for them, they have a truely paranoid world view. Another justification of their pro-US standing is the role of the USA as a liberator from Nazi fascism.
Admitingly they are rightfully criticising anti-semitic tendencies within the Left, and also the unbalanced anti-American attitude of parts the German Left, who often totally ignores the growing German imperialism, and which also often representing a rather narrow minded criticism of capitalism. But their conclusions in supporting the US imerpialism are of course more than outrageous. Nevertheless in their analyses and theory the pretty profound and intecutal, they are heavily influenced by the Frankfurt school and Theodor W. Adorno. A less superficial, and much more indeep and complete description about the anti-German theory can be found HERE (http://volkerradke.looplab.org/sonderweg-en.html).
A short experpt on how they explain their support of the US as communists:
At present, there is no chance of a system change towards a new, better socialism. There are however the USA, with a bloody history behind and probably before them, who have however never sunk as far as to lead "total wars" or to exterminate complete peoples. America - its economic, political and military power and its "cultural imperialism", which has influenced the highly nazified East German youth far too little - still forms the most important obstacle against German ambitions. This is the best hope which anti-fascists presently have, which shows how far we are distant from conditions where humans can be more than "a degraded, an enslaved, an abandoned, a miserable being" (Marx).
On the other side we have the "AntiImps", which are pretty much like the (communist) radical Left probaply is in most western countries. In a few "anti-pro" terms: anti-zionist, anti-imperialist, pro-Palestinian, anti-American, and of course with support of national(ist), anti-imperialist freedom struggles in the 3rd world. Like I already said, the anti-Germans are often rightfully criticising the "AntiImps", but they are going much too far with their criticism, and come to the wrong conclusions IMO.
To illustrate you the situation, a few pics from a anti-fascist counter action to a Nazi march, just a few days ago (I took those from a Nazi site, that's why the faces of the fascist scum are disguised):
http://www.che-lives.com/malte/antifa1.jpg
The Anti-Germans
http://www.che-lives.com/malte/scum.jpg
the Nazi march
As you can see the anti-Germans are waving US and Isreal flags, the fascists are waving Palestian flags, that support of the German fascist for Palestine is an important reason for the alligations of anti-Germans that there is a common anti-semitic mob of the radical German Left and Right, but for the anti-Germans everyone outside their sect is part of that "anti-semitic mob". The waving of US flags was ourse not only a provocation against the Nazis, but also against all non-anti-German anti-fascists at the counter-action, and it actually came to physical confrontations beween the anti-fascists.
Although the anti-Germans rightfully say they are not and they don't want to be part part of the German left anymore, the conflict between the two factions is paralyzing the German radical Left, it's now in a disastrous condition, the discussion doesn't seem to be about solving the actual issues, mainly Isreal-Palestine, but about vanities and "who is right". That it actually comes to physical fights bewen the factions is a new quality and an escalation of the conflict.
Now you have an imagination about how fucked the Left in Germany is, it must all sound pretty ridiculous to you. As you can imagine I'm very frustrared about it, and don't have much ambitions to get active anymore, as many Leftists who are kind of beween the two fronts (which is still the majority). A few dogmatic fuckers are totally ruining the Left, and that in times where radical leftist resistance against government politics is more important than ever. It's a shame.
First, the situiation is truely fucked up. The radical Left is splitted into two wings, both leaded by hardliners of their faction. On the one side the so called "Antideutsche", the "anti-Germans". I guess most of you will be already very irritated by that name alone, but the German radical Left is tradionally very anti-national since WWII, for good reasons IMO. The German nation, it's values, generally the "Deutschtum" ("Germanhood"?), German national pride was always fought and pushed back, the Left saw it as their historical duty to fight German nationalism from within. A "tradional" leftist slogan is "Deutschland verrecke" (Germany puke off) for example. So the radical Left in Germany always had been kind of "anti-German", but the faction which is now known as the anti-Germans here goes far further than that.
They have developed out of relics of the Maoist/Stalinist sects of the 70s after the unification of Germany, and as direct result of it and new German ambitions to become a great power, their first organized group was called the "Anti-German Communists", but in the meanwhile they also get support from the anti-fascist/AFA spectrum. What is making them so unique, probaply worldwide within the radical Left (and so more German than they would ever admit...), is that they are uncompromisingly pro-zionist and pro-American. Many leftists in Germany (including myself) supporting the right of Isreal to exist as a result of the holocaust, but the anti-Germans not only supporting the right of Isreal to exist, they are supporting the current foreign politics of Isreal by Sharon in Palistine, and they are also supporting the US war on Iraq (!). They are justifyng that with the alleged anti-semitic nature of the worldwide anti-imperialist resististance against the war, for them the war is fully justified, because it's fought against an "enemy of Israel". (Their argumentation reminds me very much of the argumentation of the American right wingers here in the discussion at Che-Lives in OI...) They are totally focusing their ideology on the Palestine-Isreal conflict, for them the Palestinians are one fascist, anti-semitic mob who's only interest it is to drive the Jews in the sea. Everyone who shows the slightest support or even solidaity for the rights of the Palestinians is called an anti-semite, also anti-zionism is the same as anti-semitism for them, they have a truely paranoid world view. Another justification of their pro-US standing is the role of the USA as a liberator from Nazi fascism.
Admitingly they are rightfully criticising anti-semitic tendencies within the Left, and also the unbalanced anti-American attitude of parts the German Left, who often totally ignores the growing German imperialism, and which also often representing a rather narrow minded criticism of capitalism. But their conclusions in supporting the US imerpialism are of course more than outrageous. Nevertheless in their analyses and theory the pretty profound and intecutal, they are heavily influenced by the Frankfurt school and Theodor W. Adorno. A less superficial, and much more indeep and complete description about the anti-German theory can be found HERE (http://volkerradke.looplab.org/sonderweg-en.html).
A short experpt on how they explain their support of the US as communists:
At present, there is no chance of a system change towards a new, better socialism. There are however the USA, with a bloody history behind and probably before them, who have however never sunk as far as to lead "total wars" or to exterminate complete peoples. America - its economic, political and military power and its "cultural imperialism", which has influenced the highly nazified East German youth far too little - still forms the most important obstacle against German ambitions. This is the best hope which anti-fascists presently have, which shows how far we are distant from conditions where humans can be more than "a degraded, an enslaved, an abandoned, a miserable being" (Marx).
On the other side we have the "AntiImps", which are pretty much like the (communist) radical Left probaply is in most western countries. In a few "anti-pro" terms: anti-zionist, anti-imperialist, pro-Palestinian, anti-American, and of course with support of national(ist), anti-imperialist freedom struggles in the 3rd world. Like I already said, the anti-Germans are often rightfully criticising the "AntiImps", but they are going much too far with their criticism, and come to the wrong conclusions IMO.
To illustrate you the situation, a few pics from a anti-fascist counter action to a Nazi march, just a few days ago (I took those from a Nazi site, that's why the faces of the fascist scum are disguised):
http://www.che-lives.com/malte/antifa1.jpg
The Anti-Germans
http://www.che-lives.com/malte/scum.jpg
the Nazi march
As you can see the anti-Germans are waving US and Isreal flags, the fascists are waving Palestian flags, that support of the German fascist for Palestine is an important reason for the alligations of anti-Germans that there is a common anti-semitic mob of the radical German Left and Right, but for the anti-Germans everyone outside their sect is part of that "anti-semitic mob". The waving of US flags was ourse not only a provocation against the Nazis, but also against all non-anti-German anti-fascists at the counter-action, and it actually came to physical confrontations beween the anti-fascists.
Although the anti-Germans rightfully say they are not and they don't want to be part part of the German left anymore, the conflict between the two factions is paralyzing the German radical Left, it's now in a disastrous condition, the discussion doesn't seem to be about solving the actual issues, mainly Isreal-Palestine, but about vanities and "who is right". That it actually comes to physical fights bewen the factions is a new quality and an escalation of the conflict.
Now you have an imagination about how fucked the Left in Germany is, it must all sound pretty ridiculous to you. As you can imagine I'm very frustrared about it, and don't have much ambitions to get active anymore, as many Leftists who are kind of beween the two fronts (which is still the majority). A few dogmatic fuckers are totally ruining the Left, and that in times where radical leftist resistance against government politics is more important than ever. It's a shame.